


Closet

by Vashti (tvashti)



Series: Closet [2]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Best Girlfriend Rules, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Female Friendship, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Oz Never Left, Post Episode: s04e19 New Moon Rising, old fic, some proofreading we die liek mne
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-07-20 11:59:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16136780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tvashti/pseuds/Vashti
Summary: “I don’t know.  You always seem to be up on all the current news to me.”“Wellsure…when the end of the world is involved.  God forbid I should be kept in the loop about normal stuff.”





	Closet

**Author's Note:**

> Written about 10 years ago. Edited for clarity, but the content is mostly unchanged. Comments, questions, proofing issues? Please mention them in the comments :)

“Why am I always the last to know?” Buffy lamented.

Oz shrugged. “I don’t know. You always seem to be up on all the current news to me.”

“Well _sure_ …when the end of the world is involved. God forbid I should be kept in the loop about normal stuff.”

“Buffy, it’s your loop,” Oz pointed out, an eyebrow climbing.

“Yeah…well…” She stubbed one sneakered toe into the sidewalk on the back side of the UC Sunnydale campus. “…apparently I’m good at keeping secrets from myself?”

Oz smiled. “You’ve had lots of practice.”

Buffy made a rude sound and rolled her eyes skyward. “Lying to _other_ people! I don’t count!”

“ ‘Parently you do.”

Groaning, she dropped her head into her hands. “What about Willow? And Xander?” She was ready to sink into a crouch when Oz’s strong hands caught her.

“Not that I ever thought of myself as having a particularly strong sense of ego, but I think this may just be a blow to it.”

Buffy laughed. “It’s not you, Oz.”

Both eyebrows went up. “So it’s Larry. Henh. Just when I thought he’d gotten that figured out.”

He laughed when Buffy playfully attacked him. “Kidding, kidding…”

“You better be, mister. I mean of all the guys we went to high school with. Larry? So sweaty.” Shuddering, Buffy crossed her arms around herself.

Oz stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged.

“That doesn’t make up for this being all kinds of screwed up.”

Levity disappeared, he said, “If you want—”

“No! I don’t want. Or I do want. Oh! You know what I mean! I just…” Buffy took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then let it out. “I just don’t want to hurt anybody.”

Leaning forward, Oz traced a finger down the side of her face and behind her ear, tucking back loose hair. “They’ll get over it.”

Buffy frowned. “That’s not very nice.”

He took her arms, loosening them from around Buffy and drew them over his shoulders. “Still true.”

“Do you have any idea how weird it is to be able to look your boyfriend in the eye when you kiss him?”

“Can’t say that I’ve ever had a boyfriend to know.”

“Oz!”

He gave her a little half smile.

She pinched him where she could reach, but he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of a grunt. “What about Willow and Xander?” she insisted.

He shrugged. “What about them?”

“Oz! Hello! Your ex, my two best friends…”

“Exactly. Willow and I aren’t dating. You and Willow and Xander are best friends—”

“But you know how Xander—”

“Is dating Anya.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “But you know how Xander is.”

“Willing to do anything to keep Anya from being mad at him?”

Well when he put it that way. “Okay, you may have a point there. But what about Willow. Fine, Willow never had a thing for me, but you two shared smoochies. You were her first smoocher.”

“Someone else has that spot now.”

“Yeah, but, I’m breaking one of the cardinal best girlfriend rules.”

He eyed her.

“Thou shalt not date thy best friend’s boyfriend, ex- or otherwise.”

Oz settled his hands on Buffy’s hips. He felt the tension in her muscles. “It’ll be okay, Buff.”

“I don’t know. I’ve had a pretty good run of luck with this set of friends. And when I thought about maybe losing them…I didn’t think it’d be over a _boy_. I thought demon for sure. Several demons. All at once.”

“Buffy…”

“I just don’t wanna screw this up. This this, or that this.”

“I know.”

Her lips had turned down into a distinctly mopey frown.

“You won’t.”

“Are you sure?”

Seeing that she had given up on being silly, he wished he that he could tell her something more reassuring than, “Pretty sure.” Oz brought his hands around her waist, pulling her closer. “Even if they get upset, Buffy, they won’t be forever. You said it yourself. You’re best friends. I’m just that guy.”

“You’re not just that guy.”

An eyebrow went up.

“You’re _my_ that guy.”

Oz chuckled then brushed his lips against hers. “It’ll be okay. And if it’s not…I’ll bite them.”

_“Oz!”_

 

Fin[ite]


End file.
